How you sleep matters. Are you waking up with lower back discomfort or neck soreness that you didn’t go to bed with? You may be sleeping wrong.
Try sleeping on your back or on one of your sides. Sleeping on your stomach is never advised. Just think about it, would you spend your workday with your head turned 90 degrees to the side for 6-8 hours? Of course not.
SLEEPING ON YOUR BACK
- Lay on your back with your knees bent and a pillow under your knees
- Dig your heels into the mattress to tuck your buttocks underneath you (pelvic tilt) and flatten your lower back into the mattress.
- Keeping your belly tight dig one heel into the mattress as you bring down the
other leg onto the knee pillow - Still keeping your belly tight lower the second leg down onto the pillow
- Now relax
- OPTIONAL: If you have arm pain then it may be of benefit to have a diagonal torso pillow that props up the elbow and allows the forearm to rest in a comfortable position.
SLEEPING ON YOUR SIDE
- Lay on your side with enough pillow to keep your head level
- Place a pillow between your shins to keep your legs parallel (supporting the knee & ankle)
- Have another pillow laying on edge up against your torso. Rest your top arm on this pillow so your elbow catches the top edge of the pillow
- Breath in through your nose and exhale through pursed lips as you curl your upper torso slightly forward to round your back and “tuck your ribs” towards your spine
- Now relax
HOW YOU SLEEP MATTERS. THESE TWO POSITIONS SHOULD HELP MINIMIZE THE PAIN YOU WAKE UP WITH IF YOU WENT TO BED PAIN FREE. IF YOU GO TO BED WITH PAIN, THERE MAY BE SOME OTHER CONSIDERATIONS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. CONTACT ONE OF OUR 5 LOCATIONS TO SCHEDULE AN ASSESSMENT WITH ONE OF OUR EXPERIENCED THERAPISTS.
RIVERVIEW PHYSICAL THERAPY
- Bath: 207-386-0351
- Portland: 207-797-7578
- Westbrook: 207-797-3477
- Windham: 207-892-3952
- Yarmouth: 207-846-8725
